Tugging of the heart
by ReesesPieces2112
Summary: Finn broke up with Rachel after finding out she made out with Puck. He's back to Quinn, but he's been thinking a lot about Rachel lately. Then Puck breaks the news to the entire Glee club...He and Rachel are now a couple. And Finn doesn't like it very much. Set in season 2, after Rachel finds out Finn lied about sleeping with Santana. Rated M for slight language.
1. The letter

Rachel finished redecorating her locker; after Finn had broken up with her, she took down everything that reminded her of the time they spent as a couple. She closed it and picked up her bag from the floor, checking her watch and rushing to her class.

She had timed it just right; two seconds after she looked at her watch, Finn had just come from around the corner. Ever since the break up, she avoided him, except when they had Glee club together. Even then, she barely looked at him.

"Rach?" She heard, making her turn and found herself face to face with Puck.

"Hi." She mumbled.

"Are you okay?" He asked, sounding sincere; even though he had been one of the reasons Finn and Rachel broke up, he cared. He didn't always show emotion for people, but Rachel was fragile, and he knew that. Sure, he made fun of her from time to time, but he was never as cruel as Santana, or Quinn, or any of the girls in the school.

"I'm fine." She nodded quickly. "I'm just going to be late for class." She gave him a small smile and scurried away.

* * *

Finn had frowned after he turned the corner, expecting to find Rachel at her locker. When he didn't, he sighed; just because they broke up, didn't mean he couldn't check to see if she was doing okay.

He ignored the looks from the girls who had wanted to hook up with him while he was still with her and went to class, something he didn't really want to do; he shared the class with Rachel, and it hurt when she would look anywhere in the room but at him. She even gave away her solos in Glee club, and she loves singing.

Finn felt guilty because he knew he was the cause of it. He just wasn't ready to forgive her for making out with Puck while they were a couple. It was bad enough Quinn had cheated on him with Puck and had his baby, but he never thought Rachel would be that kind of girl.

He sat in his seat behind her, letting out a small groan when she averted her eyes from the door as soon as he walked in.

"_Crap_." He thought to himself, knowing his day had already taken a turn for the worst.

All class long, he stared at the board then he would occasionally glance at Rachel, who was hunched over her notebook, scribbling furiously.

"Mr. Hudson." He heard, drawing his attention to the front.

"Huh?" He answered, looking at his History teacher.

"Were you paying attention at all?"

"Um." Finn hesitated. "No." He admitted.

The teacher took out a notepad and jotted down on a pink piece of paper, gesturing him to the front.

He got out of his seat and walked up to the desk, brushing past Rachel.

Handing the detention slip to Finn, the teacher said, "Maybe next time you'll think about the day's lesson instead of staring at Ms. Berry."

Finn heard a few peers chuckle at him and he felt his face turn hot. "Sorry, sir." He mumbled, turning on his heel and catching Rachel's stare.

She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it and looked back at her notebook, shutting it quickly as she heard the bell ring.

* * *

Rachel was sitting in the choir room, thinking about this morning's events; Finn had been caught staring at her.

"_That doesn_'_t mean anything_." She tried convincing herself. "_It can_'_t mean anything_."

She took the notebook out of her backpack, flipping through the pages and finding what she didn't want him to see; a letter…to him. But she was never going to give it to him. It was simply to tell him how she felt then she would throw it away.

"And what's this?" Someone asked, snatching the notebook out of her hands.

"Noah!" She shrieked, reaching for it.

"A love letter?" He teased, holding it above his head and reading her fine handwriting. "To a Mr. Finn Hudson, hmm?"

"Noah." She stamped her foot on the ground as if she were eight and was throwing a fit. She crossed her arms and huffed.

"Here." He chuckled. "I didn't read it, Rach. I only read the name."

She gave him a small smile and took the notebook from his hands. "Thank you."

"So, tell me." He sat down and patted a chair next to him. As she sat down, he continued. "What's with the letter?"

"It's just a way to let Finn know that I'm still…"

"In love with him." He finished for her. "Go on."

"I wasn't going to let him see it, I was planning on burning it." She tore the page out and crumpled it up in her hands.

"No, wait!" Puck took the paper from her, unraveling it and scanning over it. "I heard he got detention for checking you out in class."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "He wasn't _checking me out_."

"Yes, he was." He snorted. "Rachel, obviously he still likes you too."

"No." She shook her head. "Staring means nothing. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to throw that letter and the rest of my memories with Finn Hudson in the garbage."

"Let me prove it." He argued.

"There's nothing to prove." She insisted, reaching for the letter.

Puck pulled his hand back, smiling. "Oh, no. I have an idea for this."

"You're not going to show it to him, are you?" She panicked.

"Of course not." He smirked.

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him, knowing he had something planned…and she wasn't going to like it.

* * *

**Ooooooh.**

**I guess it's about time I did a story on Rachel and Finn xP**


	2. Didn't think it through

"_This is so boring_." Finn thought to himself as Quinn kept talking; they had met up at his locker after first period.

After his break up with Rachel, Quinn started pursuing him again and he had to admit, he actually missed being with her. He realized how wrong he was when she started controlling his life.

For example, since they were dating again, he had to rejoin the football team. He couldn't speak to any girls she didn't approve of, meaning Rachel. They would attend every senior class event as a boyfriend and girlfriend should, together.

"Finn!" She snapped. "Are you listening?"

"Yeah." He lied. "Um, I'm just…tired. I'm sorry, babe." He leaned down and kissed her cheek, earning a soft smile from her.

"You're forgiven." She kissed his lips. "Come on, we have to get to the choir room. Mr. Schue has something he wants to tell us." She grabbed his hand and led him away from the hall.

As they entered the choir room, the only other two that were there were Rachel and Puck.

Finn's free hand clenched as he saw the scene unfolding in front of him; Puck was tickling Rachel as she tried to get away from him, giggling like crazy.

"Noah!" She screeched, making him chuckle. She was the only person besides his mom that could get away with using his real name and Finn hated it because he knew it meant Rachel was special to Puck.

Quinn had cleared her throat, standing straight and jutting her chin out as if she were still head Cheerio. "Hi."

"Hi." Rachel managed, after catching her breath. "You guys are early."

"Clearly." Finn stated. "Sorry to interrupt." When in actuality, he was glad they stopped before it escalated into something he might just kill Puck for.

"It's fine." Puck gave his "best friend" his signature half smile. "Rachel and I were just...talking. Right, Rach?"

"_Rach_." Finn repeated in his head. The nickname stung him; he gave it to her their sophomore year after they'd known each other for a while. Puck never used it. So, why was he now?

"Okay, guys." Mr. Schue clapped his hands, entering the room with the rest of Glee club. "Sectionals is coming up, right?"

The class nodded eagerly, Rachel mostly because there was nothing more exciting than performing at sectionals and regionals.

"So, I was thinking this year, we'd do…" he smiled at his group. "Puck's rendition of Sweet Caroline."

Puck threw his hands in the air in victory and Rachel laughed, grabbing his arms and settling them back on his lap.

"Thank you, Rachel." Mr. Schue joked. "Speaking of, you will be singing Get It Right. And then the group will do Smooth Criminal and Loser Like Me."

"So, we'll be mixing in our original songs with covers?" Sam asked, making sure he'd heard it right.

"That's right." Mr. Schue smiled.

"But, Mr. S." Mercedes said. "We've already done those songs, they've been heard before. And they don't really fit together."

"That's the point." He stated. "To mix things up, but be predictable."

"That's insane." Kurt said and the rest of Glee club agreed.

"No, I get it." Rachel jumped form her chair with joy. "Being unpredictable…by being completely predictable. It's brilliant!"

"But, Rachel-." Kurt began.

"Hey, if Rachel thinks it's a good idea…" Puck stood beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Then so do I."

"Oh, you only say that because you rocked Sweet Caroline and you know it." Kurt rolled his eyes, hearing snickers from the rest of the class.

While everyone else was enjoying the little banter going on between Puck and Kurt, Finn eyed the hand wrapped around the tiny brunette's shoulders and the shade of pink her cheeks had turned.

He breathed in deeply to stop himself from jumping up from his chair and tackling Puck to the ground.

Quinn too had glared at the all too comfortable Rachel Berry and Noah Puckerman; she didn't like that Rachel looked happy and she definitely didn't like that she looked happy with Puck.

"Hey, what's this?" Santana interrupted Kurt and Puck's argument as she picked up a piece of paper.

"Oh, that's mine." Rachel reached for it, but Santana quickly held it from her.

"Not so fast, Berry." She smirked at her and looked at the paper.

Rachel seemed calm on the outside, but inside she was freaking out. She knew what the piece of paper in Santana's hands said, and she didn't want anyone seeing it.

"It's a letter." Santana confirmed Rachel's fears. She then glanced up from the paper to Rachel and Puck. "To Puck."

"What?" Everyone said, scrambling their way to crowd around their club mate and look at what was written on the paper.

"What?" Rachel was taken aback and she looked at Puck, who was still standing beside her with a grin on his face as he watched Quinn and Finn hurry over to Santana.

"It's a love letter!" Kurt exclaimed excitedly looking at Rachel.

"And Rachel wrote it?" Mercedes snatched the letter from Santana. "_To_ Puck?"

"And Puck actually read it?" Sam asked then laughed. "Dude, you don't read."

"So." Finn's voice cut through everyone's laughter. "Are you guys…?"

"Yep." Puck held her closer. "Rachel and I are together."

The entire choir room fell silent, taking in the news. Most of them jumped up and hugged the "couple", congratulating them. A few simply smiled, still processing all of it. Finn and Quinn?

Finn and Quinn were furious.

Puck could see it written across their face and smiled at them, knowing his plan was working.

* * *

"Noah, what were you thinking?!" Rachel scolded him in the hallway.

"Relax, Rachel." He had his arm around her waist. "This is all to make Finn jealous."

"I don't _want_ to make Finn jealous." She scoffed. "Jealousy is a child's game. I'll admit to falling to it once, but now I wish to not partake in it."

"It'll be fuuuuunnnnn." He nudged her, drawing out the word.

"It will not." She rolled her eyes. "Did you even completely think this through, Noah? You realize, in order to act like we're a couple, we actually have to-."

"Kiss." Puck nodded and teased her. "I figured it'd be a perk."

She slapped his stomach playfully as they reached her locker. "It's not funny. I promised myself I wouldn't let anything get to me before sectionals and surely not before regionals."

"But it won't be getting to you, it'll be getting to Finn." He pointed out. "By the way, it's working."

Rachel glared at him as she opened her locker and put her books inside. "I don't want anything distracting Finn either. We're working as a team, remember? If Finn becomes angry over something as silly as your lie, then we can't win."

"Rachel, you're missing the big picture here!" Puck whined. "Finn's _jealous_! Jealous, Rachel! Don't you think that means something?"

"No." She lied outright. "I think he's upset because you and I kissed while we were still a couple and it hurts that-."

"You've moved on." He interrupted, giving her that it's-totally-obvious-and-you're-in-denial look.

Rachel opened her mouth to argue, but he stepped forward and captured her lips with his own. She would have stumbled back in surprise if he hadn't pulled away so quickly and saved her the trouble.

"Hey, buddy." Puck greeted Finn as he strode up to Rachel's locker.

"Hi." Finn choked out; he saw their kiss and he wanted to punch Puck in the face, but knew better than to upset Rachel.

"What's up?" Puck asked, watching Finn's eyes follow Rachel's movements as she pulled out more books and closed her locker.

"I wanted to um…" Finn couldn't form his sentence and he couldn't figure out why.

"Wanted to what?" Quinn asked from behind him. He turned and gave her a wide-eyed look as if he'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Well?" She asked with her hands on her hips.

"Nothing. I just…I need Rachel's help with the songs." He stuttered.

"_I_ could help you too, you know?" She spat.

"You're very talented, Quinn." Rachel stepped up, defending her ex-boyfriend. "However, we _are_ the leads and my voice simply carries farther than yours does in certain songs."

Quinn, even though it was meant as a compliment, took it as an insult. "You know what?"

"Oh, look at that, Rach, it's time for class." Puck grabbed her hand and steered her away before Quinn became vicious.


	3. Marry you

Finn sat through lunch without actually eating; football players and Cheerios that were still somewhat friends with Quinn surrounded him.

Across the cafeteria, Rachel and Puck were sitting with the rest of the Glee clubers. He watched as Rachel pretended to feed Puck a piece of lettuce then snatch it back quickly, eat it, and giggle.

He would have gagged at the sight, but it would give too much away to Quinn, not that she'd mind; she too was fuming about Rachel acting cutesy with Puck. She was especially angry with him for eating a salad, of all food. Puck never ate healthy, what was so damn special about Rachel Berry's pile of green nothing?

Rachel and Puck didn't seem to notice that they actually looked like a couple. They were just close in that sense. Ever since Finn pulled as much crap as he did with Rachel and Quinn, Puck decided he wouldn't allow it to happen to someone as fragile and dainty as Rachel.

"Hey, I actually _wanted_ to eat that." He nudged her shoulder.

"I know." She picked up another piece of lettuce with her fork. "That's why _I _ate it."

"Rachel Berry, who knew you could be so cruel?" He put a hand on his chest and pouted, becoming overly dramatic.

"This is weird." Mike Cheng looked between them.

"Agreed." Tina nodded her head.

"It'll take some getting used to." Kurt agreed with them.

"Why is it so weird?" Puck asked, looking across the way at Finn as he stood up from his place and started walking over. He quickly wrapped his arms around Rachel and pulled her close.

"Because you don't do emotions, Puckerman." Mercedes laughed. "And that's all Rachel's about."

"Well, I'll have to get used to it." He smiled at Rachel.

Finn's stomach twisted as he caught the end of their conversation. He cleared his throat. "Hey, guys." He sat on the other side of Rachel.

"Hey, Finn." Kurt greeted, biting into his sandwich. "Mom says you need to pick up milk before you come home from school."

"Got it." He put his backpack on the floor. "So, what's going on?"

"Aren't Puck and Rachel the cutest?" Santana asked, mocking Finn and taunting him with the fact that his best friend was dating his ex-girlfriend…again. She knew he hated Puck for what he did and she was using that to get under his skin.

"Adorable." He smiled with sarcasm but she was the only one to notice. He rolled his eyes as she smirked and picked at her lunch.

He looked down at Puck's hands latched around Rachel's waist and instinctively reached over and pinched him.

"Ow!" Puck withdrew quickly.

"Noah?" Rachel questioned. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah." He rubbed his hand, not telling her what Finn did because she would just give him some big lecture in the middle of the cafeteria. "Your belt just…pinched me."

"I'm sorry." She frowned, took his hand, and kissed it, reaching over and kissing his cheek as well.

Finn tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. "Hey, Rach?"

She gulped at the nickname, having not heard him say it since they broke up. "Yes, Finn?" She turned to him.

"Can we rehearse after school?" He smiled at her. "If it's okay with Puck."

Rachel turned to look at Puck and Finn glared at him as her back was turned.

Puck chuckled. "Of course it's okay. I trust her." He kissed her and pulled away, getting up from his seat and gathering her things when they heard the bell ring.

* * *

"I. Hate. You." Finn punctuated each word with a grunt as he struck the punching bag, pretending it was Puck. It was after school and he didn't have to meet up with Rachel for another 15 minutes. He decided to work out a little frustration before going to rehearse and exploding on her about dating the person who broke them up.

He sighed and grabbed the bag to stop it from swinging and leaned his forehead against it.

"Damn it." He whispered to himself. "I can't blame Rachel because _I_'_m_ the one who broke us up, not Puck."

He removed his boxing gloves and put them in his bag. He couldn't wrap his head around Rachel and Puck being together, that's not who Puck was, he didn't go for girls like Rachel. She's sweet, caring, a little crazy, but still amazing. Puck was rebellious, hated anything romantic, and broke all the rules whenever he could.

"So, I throw up my fist

Throw a punch in the air!" He heard Rachel's strong voice coming from the auditorium. He grinned as he stepped inside and watched her dance around the stage with grace.

"And accept the truth, that sometimes life isn't fair

Yeah, I'll send out a wish

Yeah, I'll send up a prayer

And finally, someone will see

How much I care!"

She stood in the middle of the stage, holding the note for as long as she had the first time she sang it and it was just as amazing.

"Whoo!" Finn clapped after she finished, startling her.

She laughed nervously. "Finn, I didn't see you come in."

"Sorry." He chuckled. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay." She smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "So, which song did you want to rehearse first?"

"Actually." He made his way to the center of the stage with her. "I was thinking maybe we'd sing a different song. Just as a warm-up."

"Okay." She nodded. "What song?"

"Um. Let's do…" He thought for a moment them smiled down at her. "Marry you."

"What?" Her eyes bulged out.

"The song. By Bruno Mars." He chuckled. "Marry you."

"Oh!" She let out a small laugh. "Right. O-Of course. I knew that's what you meant."

"Right." He nodded his head, a smile tugging at his lips.

Music started playing and Rachel began singing:

"It's a beautiful night

We're lookin' for somethin' dumb to do

Hey, baby

I think I wanna marry you

Finn joined her:

"Is it the look in your eyes?

Or is it this dancing juice?

Who cares, baby

I think I wanna marry you."

Rachel walked around the stage with him following, staring each other down like they usually did when they sang.

"Well, I know this little chapel

On the boulevard we can go-o-o-o-o

No one will kno-o-o-o-o-ow

Oh, come on boy"

Finn took her hands and swayed with her.

"Who cares if we're trashed?

Got a pocket full of cash we can blo-o-o-o-ow

No one would kno-o-o-o-o-ow

Shots of patro-o-o-o-o-on

And it's on girl"

Rachel smiled brightly as she stared into his eyes, getting lost in them. The music was suddenly shut off.

"Hey, guys." Kurt walked onto the stage with a smug look on his face.

"Oh, hello, Kurt." Rachel quickly stepped away from Finn and folded her hands in front of her. "Finn and I were just rehearsing."

"That wasn't one of our sectionals songs." Kurt crossed his arms.

"It was a warm-up." Finn stuffed his hands in his jeans.

"I see." Kurt laughed as he ran up and grabbed Rachel by her hands. "Well, I'll be stealing her away for a double date with Puck, Blaine, and I."

Rachel seemed confused and was about to speak when Kurt hauled her away. She turned to look back at Finn and mouthed an apology.

* * *

**I should probably warn you guys now, Quinn...isn't so nice in my story. Not because I hate her or anything, I just needed a villain, someone other than Santana, who actually isn't that bad.**

**I've read some of the other fan-fics and i just wanted to really change things around. You're more than welcome to stop reading my story if you like Quinn and don't want to see her as a cruel person. I completely understand.  
**

**Oh and the pairing is Finn and Rachel, not sure if I'm going to have Puck end up with someone, or if I do, I don't know who it'll be.  
**


	4. Innocent?

"Noah didn't say anything about a date." Rachel said once they were outside of the school.

"I know." Kurt kept pulling her towards his car. "I thought you'd just enjoy some…girl talk."

"But, Kurt-."

"Okay." He whirled around to face her. "Cut the crap, Berry. I know you're using Puck to make Finn jealous."

Rachel sucked in a huge breath and began panicking. "Kurt, please listen to me! I-I…It wasn't my idea-."

"How could you not tell me?!" He smacked her arm gently. "I could have helped."

"You…what?"

"Rachel." He rolled his eyes. "Quinn and Finn were a great couple…sort of." He explained. "But that was a long time ago. Truth be told, the only reason Quinn still wants to be with my step-brother is because she wants that perfect little fairytale she _thinks_ she had. But you, Rachel." He grabbed her arms gently. "You've improved Finn. He hasn't cared about any of that popularity nonsense since you two were together. I will not let Quinn ruin my brother's life…again."

"I'm sorry, Kurt." Rachel shook her head. "But Finn has made his choice. There's nothing I can do."

"But Rachel…" Kurt whined.

"Hey, Rach!" Finn jogged up to them. "Caught yah on time." He laughed breathlessly.

"Hi, Finn." She smiled at him.

"I forgot to give you this." He handed her a small box.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I was supposed to give it you earlier, but…" He let his sentence drop.

She frowned, knowing it was a present meant for their anniversary. "Well, thank you."

"Open it." He stepped towards her, acting as if he wanted to watch her open the box, when he actually just wanted to be closer to her.

"Oh, ok." She gently opened the lid to the box, revealing a small gold necklace with a star in the middle.

"Oh!" Kurt put a hand on his chest and wiped away an invisible tear. "It's so cute!"

Rachel giggled and pushed him lightly. She smiled up at Finn and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "It's amazing, Finn. Thank you so much."

Finn blushed. "You're welcome."

"Okay." Kurt tugged on Rachel's arm. "We have a date to get to, so see yah at home, Finn."

"See yah." Finn waved before walking to his car.

* * *

"Rachel!" Puck sang from across the hall the next day.

"Hello, Noah." She beamed at him as he reached her locker.

"Someone's happy." He observed. "Well, it's only to be expected right? I mean, how could you not be? You're with me." He joked.

She pushed at his chest and giggled. "Listen, I've been thinking." She closed her locker and started walking to her class with Puck holding her hand. "Maybe we shouldn't be trying to make Finn jealous."

Puck threw his head back and groaned loudly. "Rach…"

"It's not right." She gave him an apologetic look. "He's been so nice to me lately and-."

"Exactly, Rachel." He interrupted her sentence. "He's been nice to you _lately_. But what about when he goes into full diva mode because he saw or heard something he didn't like?"

"That's my point, Noah. He won't get upset if we're not trying to pull one over on him."

"Rach…" They stopped in front of her first class and he wrapped his arms around her. "I promise, if things start to get out of hand, we will call this whole thing off."

"Promise?" Rachel looked up at Puck.

"Of course." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Finn, so he leaned down and gave her a small kiss before releasing her and leaving.

"That boy." She mumbled, rolling her eyes and walking to her seat. When she saw Finn, she gave him a small wave.

He smiled a little then looked down at his notebook.

* * *

Puck had wandered around the school instead of going to class like he had told Rachel he would. Instead, he had gone out to the bleachers and stared over at the football field, sighing as the memories of his football days ran through his mind.

"Damn, I was so cool." He said to himself.

"And now you're dating the number one geek." A high-pitched voice startled him.

He whipped around and saw Quinn

"Don't call my girlfriend a geek, Fabray." He spat.

She inhaled deeply and smirked at him. "You know, Puck, you could still be cool. Keep your rep and have it all."

Puck rolled his eyes, deciding to play into her game. "And I'm assuming you mean…?"

Quinn shrugged her shoulders as if she were coming off innocent. "You could…date me again. I mean, I am still pretty popular. Just look at Finn, he's got all of his old friends back."

"Speaking of Finn." Puck stood up from where he was sitting and flung his backpack over his shoulder. "Tell your boyfriend to stay away from my girl unless he wants to get seriously hurt."

He didn't actually mean that statement, but he needed to sound as convincing as possible. He knew Quinn would eventually come around to trying to separate him and Rachel; she wanted everything Rachel had, not because Rachel was more popular than she was, because she wasn't. Quinn simply took everything from her because Rachel actually appreciated the things she had, and Quinn couldn't stand the thought of the little brunette being happy.

"You can't be serious!" She scoffed, following him off the bleachers and into the school. "Rachel Berry?" She laughed. "Rachel 'I'm so innocent' Berry?"

"Who said she was innocent?" He turned and smirked at Quinn. "Rachel's…Rachel's got a side to her that not even your dear little Finn knows."

Quinn's mouth dropped open. "What?!"

"Bye, Quinn." He waved, walking away from her to find Rachel since the bell had rung for class to be over.

Quinn clenched her fists so tight that her knuckles were turning white and the blood circulation was cut off. She stomped her foot and stormed in the opposite direction, barging between people and pushing past them so violently that they were knocked to the ground.

"_I will get you_, _Rachel Berry_." She thought. "_I will take you down if it_'_s the last thing I do_."

* * *

**Ok. So the next chapter is going to be semi short, I'm sorry =/ Softball season just started and with an upcoming tournament, I don't have much time to write. I'm sorry! I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible though, I promise (:**


	5. Hurt

"Did you still want to rehearse the songs for sectionals?" Rachel asked Finn on their way out of class.

"Oh, uh sure." He smiled down at her. "You know, we should uh, hang out after school some time. Not just for sectionals, but because we're friends."

Rachel blinked rapidly, trying to figure out if she had heard him correctly; Finn never asked to spend time with her since he started dating Quinn again. She didn't hesitate to say yes, because not only did she miss him as a boyfriend, she missed him as a friend. And if she couldn't have him as one, she'd settle for the other, anything to stay close to him.

"Cool." He flashed her his goofy smile, excited to finally be alone without being interrupted. "I'll see you later."

She watched him walk away, making sure he was gone completely before squealing and running off to the choir room.

She ran right into Puck on her way, causing them both to crash on the floor.

Rachel ignored the stares she got from the students in the hall as she jumped up and helped Puck off the floor.

"Hello, Noah." She grinned at him.

"Hey, Rach." He straightened his shirt. "I know you love me, but uh, I didn't think we were in the 'tackling' phase already."

She giggled and pushed at his chest. "Oh, Noah. Always kidding."

Puck gave her a confused look, arching an eyebrow and observing her. "Are you okay? Did that fall cause you to hit your head too hard or somethin'?" He reached up and put his hand on her head gently.

Rachel rolled her eyes and pushed him away. "No. Finn and I are going to spend some time together after school."

"Right. For rehearsal."

"No, not just rehearsal." She beamed, stepping around him.

"Wait, so you mean…like a date?" He asked, jogging to catch up to her and take hold of her hand.

"It's not a date. I'm not sure what it is." She said. "It's…hanging out."

"Hanging out?" He questioned. "With your ex-boyfriend? Is that really a good idea? Especially with Quinn the dragon, lurking around him 24/7."

"You're right." She frowned, reaching the choir room and choosing a seat in the front row. "Maybe I should cancel."

"No!" Puck shouted, making her jump. He chuckled and set a hand on her shoulder to settle her. "I mean, don't cancel because him asking you to hang out only proves my point. He still wants to be with you."

"We're friends, Noah." She snapped. "Can't I be his friend?"

"Well, yeah." He saw Quinn and Finn coming in through the door so he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I'm just saying. Look at the 'golden couple', Rachel. Neither one of them look happy."

Rachel discreetly glanced at Finn and Quinn and saw that Puck had been right; they each had a scowl on their face and they stood so far apart from each other, you'd think they were trying to repel any germs that could come off of the other.

"Interrupting?" Quinn snapped at the 'couple'.

"Um, no." Rachel blushed, scooting away from Puck just a little. She may not like Puck's plan to make Finn jealous, but Quinn scared her sometimes and she felt comfort with him. "Noah and I were just talking about sectionals."

"Oh, I bet." Quinn laughed with sarcasm, sitting in the far back row, dragging Finn with her. "Did the subject of what will happen _after _sectionals come up as well?"

Rachel and Finn were confused; what had she meant by that?

"I'm sorry, Quinn, I don't quite understand…" Rachel's eyebrows knit together.

Quinn, with her arms folded in front of her, scoffed. "Wow, Rachel. I mean, you'd think you were a much better actor than that, considering all your dramatic theatrics."

"Quinn, what are you talking about?" Finn demanded, becoming frustrated with all her insinuations, instead of her just saying it outright.

"Puckerman told me how you two just so happen to…be unable to keep your hands off each other, is the cleanest way to put it." She smirked at Rachel, watching her cheeks turn a dark shade of pink.

"What?!" Rachel shot up from her seat, glaring at Puck, who had an apologetic smile on his face. "Noah!"

Finn's mouth went dry as he tried to assess what he had just heard. "_Puck and Rachel_?" He thought. "_Together_?_ As in_…?"

"Oh quit being so shy." Quinn rolled her eyes, annoyed at Rachel's outburst. "It's already out in the open. All I can say is…be careful. You and I both know Puck isn't exactly reliable when it comes to that sort of thing."

Quinn's last comment stabbed both Finn and Puck in the heart; Finn, because it was a reminder that one, Puck had gotten Quinn pregnant. And two, Rachel was now dating him and there was a possibility that she could end up pregnant too.

It hurt Puck deeply as well because he felt guilty for getting Quinn pregnant while she was with Finn and he missed Beth.

Rachel saw the hurt flash across Puck's face and she instantly turned on her girlfriend mode. She frowned, sat in his lap and leaned her forehead against his, whispering to him that he would have been a great father to Beth.

Quinn glared at them out of jealousy, not because as if what she had just said meant absolutely nothing.

Finn stayed silent, unsure of how to handle everything that was revealed. He watched the rest of the Glee club file in through the door and he put a fake smile on his face, hoping he wouldn't give too much away.

Mr. Schue sensed the tension in the room and grew concerned when he saw Rachel comforting Puck.

"Puck?" He asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Puck croaked then cleared his throat. "Everything's fine, Mr. S."

Mr. Schuester looked at Rachel, not believing Puck's lie.

She shook her head gently to signal that Puck was indeed not okay and that he shouldn't push it any farther.

* * *

**It's really short, I know and I'm sorry. I haven't had much time to write since softball started. **

**Happy thanksgiving everyone! (:**


	6. No one loves you

"What the heck is going on?!" Santana finally said. "Puck and Rachel are way too quiet, Finn has that dumb look on his face, and Quinn's got her bitch face on."

"Well, if you must know…" Quinn began, happy to share with the rest of the room what had just happened.

Puck abruptly stood up from his seat, practically knocking Rachel to the ground had Mr. Schue not caught her.

"Don't. Say. A _fucking_. Word." He seethed.

Rachel watched the fire ignite in his eyes and grabbed onto his hand gently, afraid of what would happen; they all had seen him angry before, but even Rachel had never seen the side of him he had been showing in that moment. He looked as if he wanted to rip Quinn's head off.

"Noah, please." She tried soothing him the best way she could. "Let's just calm down, okay?"

"No!" He finally snapped, shoving away from her roughly. "Not after what she said, Rachel!"

Rachel's hands flew up to her mouth, startled by his reaction.

"Not after she brought up Beth like it was nothing! You know what you are, Quinn? You're a bitch! You're a cold-hearted, selfish, egotistical, manipulating, bitch!"

"Puckerman!" Mr. Schue shouted. "Language!"

Quinn rolled her eyes, acting like Puck's words didn't hurt. Deep down, they really didn't. She felt nothing. "Stop being so dramatic, Puck."

Puck balled his fists so tight he had to leave before he actually hit a female. He slammed the door closed, leaving the rest of Glee club in shock with what had unfolded in front of them.

Rachel was crying into her hands; Puck was hurt to the point where not even she could bring him back and she was worried. He had been through so much that he didn't deserve the treatment he got from Quinn. She ran after him, not even bothering to listen to Mr. Schue telling her to stop.

"Noah!" She shouted down the halls. She looked everywhere but he was faster than she was. He had disappeared and wasn't answering her texts or calls. "Noah!" She shouted louder.

The bell had rung for class to be over and she started asking around to see if anyone had seen him. After the hundredth "no", she decided to look in the auditorium since it was the only other way out of the school besides the front office that wasn't locked.

"Please be there." She whispered to herself. "Please, please, please be there, Noah Puckerman."

* * *

"Noah?" Rachel called, walking into the auditorium. She looked up at the balcony to see if he had gone up there to be alone. She jumped when she heard a sniffle come from the stage.

"Noah." She whispered, running over to the stage and kneeling in front of him.

Puck had stormed out of class and decided against leaving school, even though he didn't want to be there, he stayed…for Rachel. He sat center stage with his elbows on his knees and crying into his hands. He had finally composed himself enough to look up at the small brunette in front of him.

"Hi." He half chuckled, half gasped.

"Noah, are you okay?" Rachel's mouth turned into a frown; she had never in a million years thought she'd see the great Noah Puckerman…cry.

"Everything's fine, Rach." He lied, clearing his throat as an attempt to cover up how his voice cracked.

She reached over and wound her arms tight around his neck. "Everything's not fine. You're hurt." She pulled back and cupped his face. "What Quinn did was wrong. I don't like seeing you like this."

Puck breathed in deeply and let out a shaky breath. "Thank you, Rachel. For being here for me."

"You're here for me." She smiled softly at him. "It's time I return the favor."

He pulled her close and held her for a while, feeling the comfort in her embrace and for a split second, wishing they were actually together.

"You should go home." She stated, pulling away from their hug. "I know you don't want to stay here, so go and get some rest."

He sighed with relief and kissed her forehead. "Thanks. I'll call you later." He stood up and made his way to the exit.

Rachel smiled after him, happy that she managed to calm him down. They may not have started out the best of friends, but he had a special place in her heart. She knew they were special to each other, special in ways that people wouldn't understand. They were already being judged by how they looked as a couple; the rebellious bad boy and the obnoxious Glee club geek. Neither of them cared about any of that because at the end of the day, they could turn to each other if they needed to.

"Well, well, well." Rachel heard a clap with each word, making her turn to find Quinn walking onto the stage.

She stood up and brushed her skirt, clearing her throat and holding her head high. "Hello, Quinn."

"Wasn't that just a nice little show?" Quinn snapped. "Puck running out as if he were actually angry and you chasing after him just to end up in the auditorium…alone."

"Nothing happened." Rachel glared at her, crossing her arms. "I don't know what you're problem is, Quinn, I've done nothing wrong to you."

"Nothing?" Quinn questioned. "Right, Rachel. You _didn_'_t _kiss my boyfriend while we were together, you _didn_'_t _become a couple with the father of my baby, and you _didn_'_t _steal Finn from me. None of that happened." She rolled her eyes.

"Is that what all of this is about?" Rachel gasped. "All of these nasty comments because I was with Finn and Puck?"

"Yes!" Quinn confirmed. "You really have everyone else fooled, but not me, Rachel Berry. I see right through your innocent little girl façade. The truth is, you're not so innocent, Puck already told people that."

"You need help, Quinn Fabray." Rachel shook her head and tried to step around her to leave. She would have fought back, but hearing Quinn tell her that she was a phony was already too much to handle. She could never be the kind of girl that had sex with a guy then bragged about it, but Quinn didn't see her that way and tried to rub it in her face.

"We were a family, Rachel." Quinn taunted her, stopping her from leaving. "Do you really think you could ever give him that like I did?"

She wanted to make it known that she had given Puck his first child, something Rachel could never do. After hearing Rachel tell her that she needed help, she became enraged.

"Well, I-." Rachel could feel her breath quickening, unsure of how to respond.

"No." Quinn snapped. "You can't. He may be with you now, but trust me, he'll get tired of you. Just like Finn did."

"No!" Rachel closed her eyes and shook her head, refusing to believe Finn would ever be so cruel.

"Yes!" Quinn pushed her back. "_I_'_m _the one Finn wanted. I'm the one he'll always want! Puck doesn't even want to be with you, he wants me too. Face it, Rachel, no one wants you! No one loves you!"

Rachel felt the tears burning in her eyes and her bottom lip quivering. She knew Quinn was wrong, but she still couldn't help but feel like it was true.

"Hey!" They heard.

Santana walked up on stage with her signature 'bitch' look. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Nothing." Rachel sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Bullshit." Santana turned to Quinn. "Who the hell do you think you are, Fabray?"

"Excuse me?!" Quinn shrieked. "You're defending Rachel?! Of all people?!"

"Yeah, I am!" Santana got in her face. "And you, slutty little _ex _cheerio, have made a huge mistake. You really think Puck's going to stand for this? Or even Finn for that matter?" She laughed, teasing Quinn. "Finn doesn't want you, Quinn. He's in love with Rachel. He will always be in love with Rachel, so don't ever think for one second that Puck and Finn actually want to be with someone who's ruined their lives. Especially not after what just happened in the choir room. Accept it, Quinn. You screwed up in more ways than you can count."

"I have not ruined their lives!" Quinn began feeling like she was being attacked. Santana was a hell of a lot tougher than she ever was, but she wasn't backing down. "I'm not the one who used Puck as my beard, like you did."

Santana snorted. "Please. That's your best? Come on, Fabray. You slept with Puck, got pregnant, all while you were still with Finn. You led Puck on, you had his baby then you turned around and told him you wanted nothing to do with him. Yeah, mine was way worse." She finished with sarcasm. "You're an idiot, Quinn."

She turned to Rachel and grabbed her hand. "Come on, Rachel, we're going."

Rachel followed Santana off stage and out the auditorium door


	7. Games

"You're quiet." Santana said to Rachel on their way back to class. "You're not thinking about what Quinn said, are you?"

"No." Rachel admitted. "I'm just confused…why would you stick up for me? You hate me."

"I don't 'hate' you, Berry, I just can't stand you sometimes. And Quinn needs to be brought down a peg or two." She stopped in front of Rachel's classroom. "Look, Rachel, I stood up for you because you're with Puck. I know, we weren't really considered a couple, but we were somewhat friends, and I care about him. I can see that you do too, so I'm protecting you because you're protecting him."

Rachel gave her a slight smile. "Thank you, Santana."

"Yeah, yeah." Santana tried to hide her smile, feeling good about herself for being nice to Rachel. "Get to class. And let me know if Quinn bothers you again."

Rachel nodded before opening the door and stepping inside. She made her way to her seat after explaining to her teacher that she wasn't feeling good, so she was in the nurse's office.

She felt bad for lying about where she had been, but it was a complicated situation and the teacher wouldn't understand.

Zoning in and out during the lesson, Rachel sighed heavily and wished the time would go by faster. She finally felt relief when the final bell for the day rang and she bolted out of class in a hurry to get to her locker.

"Rachel!" She heard from across the hall.

Finn jogged up to her. Despite the day's events, he still wanted to spend time with her.

"Oh, hello, Finn." Rachel opened her locker and put her books inside.

"Are we still on for today?"

"Oh." Rachel slapped a hand to her forehead. "I completely forgot, Finn. After what happened in Glee club today, I'm really worried about Noah. I was going to see him right now."

"Oh, it's cool." He tried not to sound disappointed, but smiled. "Why don't I go with you? I should apologize for Quinn. Puck's my friend and I should have stopped her from saying anything."

"That's really nice of you, Finn." She smiled at him. "Okay, let's go."

"Awesome." He took her bag from her and led her out to his car.

* * *

Rachel and Finn were greeted to an awful looking Puck. His eyes were blood-shot from crying over the daughter he never spent time with.

"Oh, Noah." Rachel frowned, stepping through the doorway and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Hey, man." Finn closed the door behind him. "Listen, I think we should talk."

"Okay." Puck nodded, walking over to the couch and flinging himself onto it.

Finn took a seat beside him with Rachel sitting on the other side.

"Puck, I'm sorry for what happened with Quinn today. I should have-."

"It's fine." Puck stopped him. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." Finn nodded, knowing it would be a mistake if he pushed it any farther. "So um…"

The three of them sat in silence until Puck finally turned to Finn and asked if he wanted to play a video game.

Finn smiled and nodded, following him to his room.

"So juvenile." Rachel rolled her eyes; she had been lying on Puck's bed with the two boys sitting on the floor, whooping and hollering when they hit their intended target.

"It's fun, Rachel." Puck stuffed a handful of potato chips in his mouth and wiped his hands on his jeans, burping in the process.

"Apparently, it also causes you to lose your sense of hygiene." She scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"You're such a princess, babe." Puck joked and put the game on pause. "I need soda." He stood up from the floor and walked out of the room.

"Want me to show you how to play?" Finn offered Rachel Puck's controller.

"No." She pushed the controller back to him.

"Come on, Rach." He chuckled. "You don't have to like it, just try it."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes and sat beside him, taking the controller from him.

"Watch." He unpaused the game and shot at another player. "Like this."

"Wait!" Rachel shrieked, pressing random buttons and shooting everywhere.

"Rachel!" Finn laughed, taking the controller and showing her what she was supposed to do.

"It's all so confusing!" She threw her hands in the air, frustrated.

"It is not." He smiled while putting the controller on the floor. "You'll get the hang of it if you let me teach you."

"I don't like video games." She folded her hands in her lap.

"Come on." He nudged her.

"Stop it." She giggled, pushing him away.

"Why?" He asked, reaching towards her waist.

"No!" She screamed, trying to get away from him.

Finn started tickling her and they started rolling around on the floor. He ended up hovering over her, both out of breath from laughing.

"Rach?" He whispered.

"Yes?" She asked, staring into his eyes.

"What are we doing?"

"I don't know." She leaned up. "But…I don't want to stop."

Finn welcomed her lips, eagerly kissing her back. He felt the butterflies in his stomach and he smiled into the kiss.

"Finn, you want soda?!" Puck shouted from downstairs, making Finn jump away from Rachel.

They both scrambled to their feet and raced downstairs, each making excuses on why they had to suddenly leave.

"Um…" Puck observed their flustered faces and held back a laugh. "Well, I'll see you guys later then."

"Bye, Noah." Rachel said quickly before walking out of his house.

"See you tomorrow, Puck." Finn ran out before Puck could respond.

As the door closed, he burst into laughter, knowing something had happened between them.

* * *

**Yes, I'm well aware that I rushed this, but I have softball practice in half an hour and I just wanted to post something**

**Hope you like it anyways :/**


	8. Good influence

Finn cut the engine off right in front of Rachel's house.

"So, um…" He began.

"It was nice spending time with you and Noah." She unbuckled her seat belt and opened her door. "Thank you for apologizing to him."

"You're welcome. Rachel, we should talk about-."

"I'll see you tomorrow." She jumped out of his truck and sped into her house, slamming the door behind her.

"Crap." Finn groaned, putting his face in his hands; he felt guilty for two reasons. The first reason being that he had kissed his best friends girlfriend. The second reason being…he liked it. He didn't want to be the one break up Rachel and Puck. Even if it had been Puck that had come between Finn and Rachel, Finn vowed he would never be that type of person.

He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number he was all too familiar with.

"Hello?"

"Kurt!" Finn yelled.

"Why are you yelling?!" Kurt hissed.

"I, uh, I need your help with something."

"What?"

"Look, before I explain, just promise me you won't get mad." Finn sighed heavily.

"Okay." Kurt's voice carried concern. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, no, sort of. I don't know!" Finn ran a hand through his hair, feeling frustrated. "It was just a stupid kiss and I-."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back it up. Kiss? Who did you kiss?" He could hear Kurt snicker, laughing at the fact that Finn sounded so dramatic over something as small as a kiss.

"Uh…" Finn hesitated; he wasn't sure how Kurt felt about the whole situation. He did know that Kurt hated Quinn, especially after what happened in Glee club earlier. He had pulled Finn aside and scolded him for letting Quinn be so cruel to Puck and Rachel.

A knock on his car window made him jump. He looked up and saw the petite brunette staring back at him with curiosity. He rolled down his window. "Hey, Rach."

"Finn…why are you still sitting in my driveway?" She asked with a laugh. "My dads are a little worried you're stalking me."

"Oh." Finn blushed. "I was just on the phone."

"I see." She nodded. "Well, do you want to come inside? It's much warmer than it is in your truck."

"Sure." He smiled, getting out of his truck and ending his phone call with his stepbrother.

* * *

"I have to say, Finn." Rachel's dad said as he sat across from Finn and Rachel. "I didn't expect you to apologize to your ex-best friend, who's now dating your ex-girlfriend, because your now girlfriend was so rude…" His sentence trailed off as he realized, he wasn't really making any sense.

Even Rachel seemed to get lost in her father's jumble of words. "Um, I think what my dad means to say is, it was really nice of you to apologize to Noah."

"Right." Finn smiled. "Thanks."

"Well, your dad and I are heading out, Rachel." Her dad stood up and kissed her on the cheek. "We'll be back late. Good night, Finn."

"Uh, night." Finn gave him a small wave before they left. "Did they just…?"

"Leave us here alone?" Rachel nodded and gulped. "Um…"

"Maybe I should…go too." He stood up and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Rachel sprang up from her seat, stopping him just as he reached the door handle. "Finn, about earlier-."

"You don't have to say anything." He smiled softly. "It shouldn't have happened. You're with Puck and you really…love him. I know that now."

Rachel's mouth went dry; she wanted to tell him it was all part of Puck's stupid plan. She wasn't in love with Puck; she was in love with Finn. "Look, Finn, I just…I'm with Puck because…you chose Quinn after what she did. But you couldn't forgive me, so I decided to be with someone who wanted to be with me too."

"I wanted to be with you, Rachel." He whispered. "I just couldn't trust you."

"But you can trust Quinn? What I did was nothing compared to what she did." Rachel shook her head. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Finn." She opened the door. "But you don't realize how much you hurt me." She pushed him out and slammed the door in his face before he could say anything.

Outside, Finn leaned his forehead against the door breathed in deeply, feeling like he was going to cry. He wanted to break down the door, barge in there, and tell her how he really felt, but she already told him her choice. He turned away from the door and walked up to his truck, getting in and speeding off.

Inside, Rachel held her hand up to her mouth to stop the sounds of her violent sobbing. She leaned against the door and slid down it, bringing her knees up to her chest and crying into her hands.

* * *

"Rachel?" Puck asked the next day at school. "Are you okay?"

Rachel didn't answer him; she didn't really want to speak to anyone. She turned to him and threw her arms around his neck.

"Rach?" Puck stumbled back in surprise. "What's going on?"

"Just hold me." She whispered. "Please?"

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, becoming worried over the fact that she wasn't talking, and Rachel always had something to say. "You gotta tell me what's wrong, Rach. I can't help you if you won't tell me."

"Mshsiandis Finn and saindsdf nmmajfhue." She mumbled into his shirt.

"Okay." He pulled back a little. "I heard Finn somewhere in there. What exactly happened yesterday?"

"We kissed." She admitted. "Then he came over for a while and we fought."

"Of course." Puck rolled his eyes. "What'd you guys fight about?"

"Quinn."

"Quinn?" He snickered. "Well, there's a surprise."

"It's not funny!"

"Okay, okay." He pulled her back into his embrace. "We have to get to the choir room for Glee."

"I don't want to go." She whined.

"Come on." He turned and started walking towards the choir room.

Rachel giggled a little as she started walking backwards, occasionally feeling her feet being lifted off the ground.

"Puck? Rachel?" Mr. Schue asked. "You're here early."

"Rachel's an amazing influence on me, Mr. S." Puck joked.

"I can see that." Mr. Schue chuckled and turned back to the board, writing the day's assignment on it.

"Noah, what about Finn?" Rachel whispered. "How am I supposed to face him?"

Puck sighed; this is what Rachel did, get into a fight with Finn, blame herself for it, and then worry about how to make it right even if she did nothing wrong.

Even so, Rachel was someone he couldn't imagine life without. He wanted to protect her, pick her up if she fell, hold her when she cried…because that's how vital she was to him.

"Don't worry about it." He answered. "If anything goes down, I'm right here with you."

She smiled at him. "Thank you…for everything." She scooted her chair closer and laid her head on his shoulder. "I could never do this without you, Noah."

Puck smiled to himself; he was glad he had someone like her. Even when she got annoying, Rachel Berry was the best part of Noah Puckerman.


	9. confession

"All right guys." Mr. Schue clapped his hands together. "We need to start rehearsal for sectionals as a group. Rachel, I know you and Finn have been rehearsing alone and that's great, but we really need to get together as a unit, so…"

Finn had shot up straight in his seat at the mention of him and Rachel being alone, mainly because Quinn shot him a hateful glare; if she couldn't have Puck, there was no way in hell she'd let Rachel have Finn too.

"Actually, Mr. Schue." Puck interrupted. "I thought we'd try out a new song. Mercedes is right. The songs are way too predictable and I think we should do something other than Sweet Caroline."

"All right." Mr. Schue nodded his head and gestured Puck to the front. "Let's hear one."

Puck smiled and jumped out of his seat, grabbing his guitar and whispering to the band members.

The music started playing and he began strumming along while he sang;

"_She's got a way about her _  
_ I don't know what it is _  
_ But I know that I can't live without her _  
_ She's got a way of pleasin' _  
_ I don't know why it is _  
_ But there doesn't have to be a reason anywhere _

_ She's got a smile that heals me _  
_ I don't know what it is _  
_ But I have to laugh when she reveals me _  
_ She's got a way of talkin' _  
_ I don't know why it is _  
_ But it lifts me up when we are walkin' anywhere_

_ She comes to me when I'm feelin' down _  
_ Inspires me without a sound _  
_ She touches me and I get turned around _  
_ She's got a way of showin_'"

He stood in front of Rachel, who bobbed her head and grinned up at him. He did this because 1. he really did care for her, and he thought the highest of her and 2. it annoyed the crap out of Finn.

"_How I make her feel _  
_ And I find the strength to keep on goin' _  
_ She's got a light around her _  
_ And ev'rywhere she goes a million _  
_ Dreams of love surround her ev'rewhere_"

Finn took in a deep breath and felt his nostrils flare; everything Rachel had said last night kept replaying in his mind. He loved her, so much, but he didn't understand why he couldn't forgive her. When he thought about it, Quinn never really apologized for cheating on him, she didn't really do anything to earn his trust.

"_She comes to me when I'm feelin' down _  
_ Inspires me without a sound _  
_ She touches me, I get turned around oh oh oh _

_ She's got a smile that heals me _  
_ I don't know why it is _  
_ But I have to laugh when she reveals me _  
_ She's got a way about her _  
_ I don't know what it is _  
_ But I know that I can't live without her any way_"

"Woo!" Mr. Schue clapped. "Puck that was great." He put a hand on his student's shoulder. "I've got to say, ever since you've been with Rachel, you've really branched out with your song selections, it's great."

"I have to confess, Mr. Schue." Puck took off his guitar and set it on the stand. He walked over to Rachel, grabbed her hands, and made her stood. He watched her brows furrow in confusion and he chuckled. "There was a reason I chose this song today."

Everyone inched forward in their seats, waiting in anticipation and excitement; there had been so many surprises in just the few weeks that they couldn't wait to see what Puck would do next.

Puck sighed heavily and got down on one knee. "Rachel Berry…will you marry me?"

* * *

Everyone's jaws dropped; Noah Puckerman had just _proposed_ to Rachel Berry. That was definitely not what they had expected.

Rachel stammered, but couldn't get out a complete sentence; she wasn't sure how to answer until she saw a small smirk form at the corner of his mouth.

"Well, Rach?" Puck urged, teasing her as he saw the blood rush to her cheeks before realizing he only did this to get at Finn.

"I…uh…" She glared at him before saying, "Yes?"

"Yes!" Puck shouted, jumping up and spinning her around by the waist.

"I'm so going to get you back for this!" She hissed in his ear, making him laugh.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Someone screeched. "Married?! We're in high school!"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Pipe down, Quinn, it's not like he asked _you _the question, it's not you're decision to make. Don't go all Jesus Mary Christian on Puck and Rachel. Just because 'Romeo' over there hasn't even thought about popping the question, doesn't mean you can bash on their relationship."

Kurt stifled a giggle and waited for Quinn to turn away from them to give Santana a high five.

"Uh, I'm not sure I should be singing lead with Rachel, Mr. Schue." Finn finally spoke up, surprising everyone.

"What do you mean, Finn? You've always sung lead." Mr. Schue frowned.

"I know, but…Rachel and Puck seem to…work better, so I think Puck should take lead on this one."

"But-." Rachel began; she really did want to sing lead with Finn. Even when their conversations don't go well, they always seem to communicate better through song.

"He's right." Kurt chimed in; he loved his brother, he did, but Finn was being an idiot and Kurt was not about let Rachel get hurt again. "I mean, Finn's good, but Puck's voice blends better with Rachel's."

Everyone seemed to agree, leaving Mr. Schue with no other option than to teach Puck lead vocals.

Rachel caught Finn's eyes boring into her own; he was hurt and she knew it. As sorry as she felt, he still made no attempt to break up with Quinn and be with her. Then again, she had just said yes to a fake proposal, so she could easily see his side of it all.

She let out a huge breath she didn't know she was holding in, clenching her fists and closing her eyes tight. "Noah, we need to talk."

Everyone stopped chattering as they heard Rachel's voice; for once, they actually wanted to hear what she had to say.

"What is it?" Puck asked her.

"It's time to tell the truth." She gulped.

Puck panicked; they were already in so deep with their lie, he was honestly scared at what everyone would think. If he was being honest with himself, he was only scared what they would think of Rachel. It wasn't her idea and she didn't deserved what may come to her.

"Noah and I…" She began. "We're not together, at all. This was…one big plan to make Finn jealous and I regret it. I'm sorry I hurt you, Finn, and I'm sorry I lied to you. I hope you can find someone to forgive, but I don't expect you will…because what I've done is cruel, awful, manipulative, and deceiving." She began to tear up; really, it was just supposed to be one big joke, but it turned into so much more the moment he kissed her. She knew then that he still loved her and she was just breaking his heart.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, turning and walking out the door.

Everyone was stunned, even Kurt; he hadn't expected her to fess up so soon. They all looked at Puck and then Finn to see which one would be running after her. When it was clear that it wouldn't be Finn, Puck ran after her.

Finn was in a trance, not even hearing Quinn saying how dumb and delusional Rachel had been, thinking she could hatch some plan and it would work.

Even though Rachel and Puck had just lied about their entire relationship, Quinn was still the most hated person in that room.

* * *

**Happy New Year, guys! (:**

**It's not really New Year yet, but I may not get the chance to say it at midnight. **

**Enjoy the chapter (:**


	10. He must hate me

"Noah, please just leave me alone." Rachel wiped away her tears; she had been sitting in front of her locker.

"Rach, seriously." Puck slid next to her. "You think I'm gonna leave you alone after what just happened?"

"I deserve to be alone, don't I? I mean, I'm spoiled, I'm selfish, I'm full of myself and I don't know how to listen to anyone that's not me-."

"And that's exactly what makes you the kind of person that doesn't deserve to be alone." He took her hand. "Rachel, you are the most conceited person I know…but even you deserve happiness, because you know how to appreciate it."

Rachel rested her head against his shoulder. "Why do I complicate things?"

"Beats me." Puck snorted. "But things usually end up okay."

"Oh, Noah." She dug her head into his shoulder to hide her face and her tears. "Finn must hate me for what I've done."

"You did nothing wrong." Puck insisted.

"Rachel?"

Puck and Rachel both looked up to find Finn standing there with his hand in his pocket and the other resting on the back of his neck.

"Can we talk?" He asked her.

Puck eyed him as he stood up and helped Rachel off the floor.

Before she could answer, Puck had stepped between them, poking Finn in the chest and whispering, "Make her cry and I will hurt you."

"Got it." Finn gulped, watching him walk back into the choir room.

Rachel kept her gaze on the floor; she was scared of what he would say, how he would react.

"Rachel…did you really do all that…to make me jealous?"

"No!" She answered quickly, finally meeting his stare. "I just…It was…" She didn't know how to answer him; she didn't want him to hate her, but she didn't want to get Puck in trouble either.

"Because it worked. You know that, right?" He stepped closer. "That's why I kissed you, that's why I fought with you. Because I thought Puck had your heart…and I didn't want to lose that."

"No one could have my heart like you do." She said aloud before quickly covering her mouth with her hand.

Finn lightly chuckled as he pulled her hand away. "Rach, I'm sorry." He finally apologized. "I'm sorry about Santana, I'm sorry that I blew things way out proportion, and I'm definitely sorry that I got back together with Quinn."

"But…isn't that what you wanted?" She whispered, feeling the tears well up. "Because you still loved her?"

"We'll always have a connection, Rach, I won't lie about that. But you, us…I want that, I _need _that. You're…insane, but you push me to do my best. You make me so angry, but it only leads me to loving you so much more. You talk way more than you should, but I end up paying attention to all of it because it means so much to you. You're so different from Quinn and that's what I love most about you. Because you're not the average teenage girl, Rachel, you're so much more."

Finn closed the space between them and pulled her into a tight hug, afraid to kiss in her in case she pulls back and slaps him for taking so long to realize his mistakes.

Rachel gripped his shirt in her hands, wanting to pull him even closer. She had started crying from the joy she felt as soon as he uttered the words "I'm sorry." Everything else he said had her heart pounding; he didn't normally say things like that, even when they were dating.

"But…" She pulled back to look up at him. "What does this mean?"

He smiled down at her. "It means I want you back, Rachel. I want to be with you and I don't want to let you go."

"But Quinn. Won't she be angry?"

Finn shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so, but I don't really care. I mean, yeah, she has feelings, but it's like she's a completely different person now."

Rachel sighed with content. "I love you, Finn."

"I love you, too." He dipped his head down to kiss her, feeling her smile in the process.

"Whoo hoo!"

They jumped apart, hearing most of the Glee club rush out and hug them.

"Finally!" Kurt hollered, wiping away an invisible tear. "I've waited so long for this moment."

Rachel and Finn laughed, welcoming their friends' embrace. Even Santana congratulated them while she hugged Rachel.

Honestly, Rachel and Finn getting back together wasn't as big of a deal as everyone was making it, but it was everything they went through to get to this point that made it special.

They had tugged and pulled for so long that it was downright tiring, and it was Finn who had finally decided that they needed each other way too much to play games anymore.

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**This chapter's really short, I know. I really don't know how to end it, and I'm still working on a couple of other stories that I'm waaaaayyyyyyy behind on. Forgive me ):**


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